2025 US Open theme honors Althea Gibson, 75 years after she broke color barrier

The US Open will celebrate Althea Gibson at the 2025 tournament, centering the trailblazing champion and commemorating 75 years since she broke the color barrier in professional tennis.

US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster called Gibson "a universal inspiration and one of our game's foremost pioneers" in the announcement of the theme last week, which will honor the moment that Gibson became the first Black person to compete at the U.S. National Championships (the precursor to the modern-day US Open) in 1950, and her enduring legacy today. The celebration of Gibson comes two years after the tournament celebrated a half-century of equal prize money for men and women, first awarded at the US Open in 1973, in a theme that centered Billie Jean King.

“The character and the courage she displayed at the 1950 U.S. National Championships changed the course of history and created a legacy that helped make the US Open what it is today—truly ‘Open for All,’" Allaster added added of Gibson, who passed away in 2003. "On the 75th anniversary of that watershed moment, we celebrate Althea, the barriers she broke and the legacy she inspired.”

The tournament's official poster, designed by Melissa Koby, features a striking silhouette of Gibson that incorporates iconic US Open imagery, including USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's famous blue-and-green hard courts, a tennis ball, the Statue of Liberty, and the tournament trophy.

Koby is a Tampa-based illustrator with Jamaican roots, who is breaking a barrier of her own as the featured artist. She is the first Black person in US Open history to design the tournament's signature artwork.

The theme art was created by combining and layering images of stencil- and laser-cut paper, Koby's primary medium.

"I wanted to create a piece that represents Althea as uniquely and beautifully as she deserves and also inspires a deep connection of representation with anyone who sees it,” Koby said. “Whether it be the layer of her playing tennis for an avid tennis-lover, or somebody who has ties to Arthur Ashe Stadium, or somebody who just loves really strong women in sports—I wanted to make sure that in having the honor and privilege of representing Althea for the US Open, I created a piece in which everyone can find a deep connection with her but also within themselves.”

The US Open will also present a tribute to Gibson on the first day of the main draw, which this year is beginning on Sunday for the first time in tournament history. The US Open main draw will be played from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7.